Entrepreneurs, start ups and burgeoning micro-firms are set to
flourish in new pioneering £1million business space at Strood
Waterfront.

Customised shipping containers have been used to create Medway
Council’s new
Innovation Studios Strood at Watermill Wharf, offering small
and medium sized companies a sustainable, robust and affordable
premises solution.

Meeting the demand of the growing economy

The demand for enterprise space locally is growing, with the
economy worth around £4.8billion and more than 17,460 businesses
calling Medway home. The area’s target growth rate is twice the
national average and as per Medway’s Local Plan, 17,000 jobs are
set to be created by 2035. 2015 GVA (gross value added) figures
show a 5% growth on the 2014 level, which is more than the south
east and UK growth of 3.2% and 2.6% over the same period.

With business clearly booming in Medway, it’s important the area
can meet the needs of the expanding business landscape. Medway
Council’s Innovation Studios Strood comprises 15 office spaces and
18 storage units which has been created using a kit of moveable and
reusable parts based on shipping containers.

Almost £1 million has been invested in the project with £600,000
of the build cost secured via the Coastal Communities Fund. The
build, which started in February 2017 with the basic units
assembled in just two days, was managed by CargoTek which specialises
in shipping container buildings, and QED Sustainable Urban
Developments was responsible for the detailed design.

Part of a bigger plan for Medway

The development, located on a previously underused piece of land
on the banks of the River Medway, is part of the council’s
ambitious 20-year programme to regenerate Medway as a whole and
make Watermill Wharf a hub for entrepreneurs. The Innovation
Studios Strood is the second project in Medway’s growing
‘innovation business series’. The Innovation Centre
Medway (ICM) based at Rochester Airport opened in 2009 and has
been a roaring success, fuelling the council’s vision to make
Medway an even more desirable place to do business, with excellent
connections to the capital and continent.

Companies based at the new premises will benefit from the
business support services provided at ICM, such as meeting rooms,
networking events and training opportunities. With all of the
Innovation Studio Strood units already committed, there’s an
appetite from the council to get going on its next business
hub.

The wide variety of tenants on board include a web design
company, music label, fostering agency, print and design company,
river transport provider and many more.

'A sustainable, robust, and affordable development'

Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Planning, Economic Growth
and Regulation Cllr Jane Chitty said: “We are very excited to be
officially launching the Innovation Studios Strood, and I’m
delighted that all of the pods have been snapped up.

“Medway is fast becoming an even more desirable place for
businesses to set up and operate from, so it’s not surprising that
these new units have been filled so quickly. With quality high
speed internet and being just three minutes from the HS1 at Strood
Station, there’s a lot going for these inventive new premises.

“We opted to go with the unusual shipping container style build
because they compliment the site’s industrial heritage, could be
delivered quickly and are cost efficient. The units, which also
incorporate storage, are an innovative way of providing office
space for businesses. They are in an ideal location with views of
the river, near a railway station and town centre, and walking
distance from historical Rochester. The development has been
designed very well and looks really attractive – perhaps not what
you’d expect when you think of shipping containers usually.”

Ross Gilbert, Managing Director, CargoTek, said: “Medway is the
South East’s largest urban area outside London, with growing demand
for office space. As part of its ongoing work to regenerate the
waterfront areas, Medway Council has continually embraced
pioneering approaches to creating sustainable enterprise spaces for
the benefit of local businesses and the economy.

“For Innovation Studios Strood we were able to work with Medway
Council to bring vacant brownfield land on the waterfront back into
productivity to deliver a sustainable, robust, and affordable
development to help meet the growing demand for enterprise
space.”

Chief Executive of Locate in Kent Paul Wookey, added: “Medway
within the Kent County is in demand - with businesses realising the
lower commercial rates in comparison to Central London, the
connectivity that HS1 offers and the quality of life that can be
achieved by living and/or working here to name a few. The
Innovation Studios Strood is a really exciting development that
adds to the Medway commercial offering. We’re excited to see the
success of the businesses that choose to locate here over the
coming months and years.”

Businesses interested in finding out more about the Innovation
Studios Strood should call Innovation Centre Manager Farley Norman
on 01634 887282.